The Ko Olina Development Group must have a boat ramp accessible to the public within the grounds of the Ko Olina Resort and Marina, the state Land Use Commission said.

Commission members voted 6-0 last week to give Ko Olina six months to submit a plan to build the ramp on-site, something anglers and boaters have fought for the past several years.

"I think we've won, it was a great victory," said fisherman Creighton Chang.

The original developer of the region was required to make a ramp on-site available to the public under a condition of rezoning issued by the city in the 1980s. When the Ko Olina Marina first opened around 2000, it included a ramp that was open to the public.

"It was the most beautiful ramp you've ever seen," Chang said.

But as the developer prepared other plans for that section of the resort, the ramp was closed in February 2005 and an arrangement was made to allow for the public to use the newly built Phoenicians Boat Ramp in Kalaeloa Harbor.

Ko Olina officials said one reason they wanted to relocate the ramp to Kalaeloa, which is open 24/7, was to accommodate those who take out their boats after dark.

Fishermen and boaters balked at that arrangement, however, and cited safety concerns.

Chang, who has been involved in the proceedings on behalf of himself and other anglers, said the Phoenicians site is a dry dock facility. Built for larger boats needing to be hoisted into the water, it was haphazardly remade to accommodate a boat ramp for smaller boats, he said.

"They're trying to mix recreational boaters with commercial activity and that doesn't work," Chang said.

The ramp area is substandard and the boats are launched directly into the deep draft Kalaeloa Harbor, subjecting the boats to the surge of the ocean, he said. By contrast, the Ko Olina ramp is sheltered and not exposed to the open channel, he said.

In its decision, the LUC sided with the fishermen in determining that Ko Olina is required to have a ramp accessible to them on the grounds of the marina. The ruling said Ko Olina "is not in substantial compliance" with its requirements and must build a new ramp open to the public on its grounds.

The LUC decision came after a lengthy contested case hearing during which the interests of the boaters were represented by the Office of State Planning.

Mike Nelson, Ko Olina Resort and Marina vice president, said the company will abide by the LUC's decision and plans to submit a plan in six months.

"We're going to do what we were told to do, to put a ramp back in the marina," Nelson said. "We're ready to move forward and put this behind us."

Nelson said Ko Olina officials believed that they were complying with the conditions of the original rezoning by opening up the Kalaeloa ramp. Fishermen the officials spoke to at the time wanted a round-the-clock facility, something that could not be accommodated within the Ko Olina Marina because of liability issues, he said.

"The unfortunate thing is that it was not as satisfactory a ramp at that point and people didn't like it," Nelson said.

The new facility won't be 24/7, he said. Those who testified before the LUC did not state 24-hour access as a priority, he said. "I don't think it will be an issue."

Chang, however, said "every single public boat ramp in the state is 24/7."

Nelson said the ramp area will have the basic elements necessary for a ramp including an area for cars, trucks and trailers to park, as well as a wash down area. There are restroom facilities available.

The old ramp is partially torn down and is being incorporated for other uses as part of the Ko Olina master plan.

Chang said as many as 300 boaters need ramp facilities in the region. Nelson estimated that about 150 people use the ramps.